1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a plasma display panel and a driving method and apparatus thereof, and more particularly to a plasma display panel and a driving method and apparatus that can improve a brightness.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a plasma display panel(PDP) radiates a fluorescent body by an ultraviolet with a wavelength of 147 nm generated during a discharge of He+Xe or Ne+Xe gas to thereby display a picture including characters and graphics. Such a PDP permits it to be easily made into a thin film and large-dimension type. Moreover, the PDP provides a very improved picture quality owing to a recent technical development. The PDP can be classified into an alternating current(AC) driving system making a surface discharge and a direct current(DC) driving system in accordance with its driving system.
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a PDP driving apparatus of AC system that includes a PDP 10 having a pixel matrix consisting of mxn discharge cells 1. In the PDP 10, m scanning/sustaining electrode lines Y1 to Ym and m common sustaining electrode lines Z1 to Zm are alternately formed, in parallel, on an upper substrate(not shown). Also, n address electrode lines X1 to Xn are formed on a lower substrate(not shown) in a direction perpendicular to the scanning/sustaining electrode lines Y1 to Ym and the common sustaining electrode lines Z1 to Zm. Each of the mxn discharge cells 1 is arranged in a matrix pattern at intersections among the scanning/sustaining electrode lines Y1 to Ym, the common sustaining electrode lines Z1 to Zm and the address electrode lines X1 to Xn. A barrier rib(not shown) is formed on the lower substrate in parallel with the address electrode lines XX1 to Xn to divide the discharge cells 1 arranged at the vertical direction.
Further, the PDP driving apparatus of AC driving system includes first and second address drivers 6A and 6B connected to the address electrode lines X1 to Xn of the PDP 10, a scanning/sustaining driver 2 connected to the scanning/sustaining electrode lines Y1 to Ym of the PDP 10, and a common sustaining driver 4 connected to the common sustaining electrode lines Z1 to Zm of the PDP 10. The first address driver 6A is connected to odd-numbered address electrode lines X1, X3, . . . , Xnxe2x88x923, Xnxe2x88x921 and the second address driver 6B is connected to even-numbered X electrodes X2, X4, . . . , Xnxe2x88x922, Xn to apply a video data to each address electrode line X1 to Xn. The scanning/sustaining driver 2 is connected to m scanning/sustaining electrode lines Y1 to Ym to select a scanning line to be displayed and to cause a sustaining discharge at the displayed scanning line. The common sustaining driver 4 is commonly connected to m common sustaining electrode lines Z1 to Zm to apply an identical waveform of voltage signal to all the common sustaining electrode lines Z1 to Zm, thereby causing a sustaining discharge.
In such a PDP, one frame consists of a number of sub-fields, and a gray level is realized by a combination of the sub-fields. For instance, when it is intended to realize 256 gray levels, one frame interval is time-divided into 8 sub-fields. Further, each of the 8 sub-fields is again divided into an address interval and a sustaining interval. A discharge initiated at each of the discharge cells selected in the address interval is sustained during the sustaining interval. The sustaining interval is lengthened by an interval corresponding to 2n depending on a weighting value of each sub-field. In other words, the sustaining interval involved in each of first to eighth sub-fields increases at a ratio of 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27. To this end, the number of sustaining pulses generated in the sustaining interval also increases into 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27 depending on the sub-fields. A brightness and a chrominance of a displayed image are determined in accordance with a combination of the sub-fields.
However, the PDP shown in FIG. 1 has a problem in that, since it causes a discharge within a discharge area provided in a minute size of discharge cell 1, its brightness and its discharge efficiency is low. More specifically, the PDP allows a negative glow discharge to lead the entire luminescence. The negative glow discharge results in a low brightness because a luminescence occurs in an ionized process. On the other hand, a luminescence occurring upon positive column discharge is leaded by a luminescence caused by an excitation, the brightness becomes very high. In a PDP having a very small independent discharge area, the positive column discharge area becomes small within each discharge area.
FIG. 2 shows brightness of adjacent discharge cells 1A and 1B shown in FIG. 1. When an A discharge cell 1A and a B discharge cell 1B arranged in the adjacent scanning lines are discharged, each discharge cell 1A and 1B is emitted at the glow discharge area. At this time, the brightness of the A discharge cell 1A and the B discharge cell 1B has a maximum value within each discharge area while having a minimum value in their boundary. Accordingly, even when all the two adjacent discharge cells 1A and 1B are discharged, a sufficient brightness is not provided. A scheme of increasing a size of the discharge area enough to enlarge the positive column area may be considered, but a size of each discharge cell and therefore a size of the discharge area must be limited so as to meet a desired resolution within a certain screen dimension. Accordingly, since the discharge area is reduced so much that the numbers of lines and discharge cells becomes larger as a resolution becomes higher, a brightness and a discharge efficiency are more deteriorated.
A scheme for improving a brightness by reducing the number of sustaining electrode lines has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Gazette No. Pyung 9-16050. The PDP shown in FIG. 1 requires 2 m electrode lines, i.e., m scanning/sustaining electrode lines Y1 to Ym and m common sustaining electrode lines while the suggested PDP requires only a total (mxe2x88x921) scanning electrode lines and a sustaining electrode line with respect to m scanning lines.
The suggested PDP is driven in the interlacing system for displaying a picture by constructing one frame by a number of sub-fields, each of which is divided into odd-numbered fields and even-numbered fields. In the odd-numbered fields, an address discharge is caused by applying data pulses corresponding to only the odd-numbered scanning lines to the address electrode lines and, at the same time, applying scanning pulses to (m/2)xe2x88x921 scanning electrode lines arranged between m/2 sustaining electrode lines. In the sustaining interval, a sustaining discharge is generated between the corresponding scanning electrode line and the adjacent sustaining electrode lines. Then, in the even-numbered fields, an address discharge is generated by applying data pulses corresponding to only the even-numbered scanning lines to the address electrode lines and, at the same time, applying scanning pulses sequentially to the scanning electrode lines. In the sustaining interval, a sustaining discharge is generated between the corresponding scanning electrode line and the adjacent sustaining electrode lines.
As described above, the suggested PDP reduces the number of sustaining electrode lines into a half of that in the prior art to lengthen a length between the scanning electrode lines, so that it can improve a brightness and a discharge efficiency. Also, according to the suggested PDP, since the number of electrode lines is reduced, it has been expected as a strategy favorable to an implementation of high resolution. However, the suggested PDP has a drawback in that, since it can be applied to only a display device of interlace system such as television, its application range must be limited. Therefore, the suggested PDP fails to be applied to a display device of progressive system which is forecast to be largely employed as a driving system for a display device having a resolution of the high definition(HD) class.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a PDP and a driving method and apparatus thereof that are capable of improving a brightness as well as a discharge efficiency.
Further object of the present invention is to provide a PDP and a driving method and apparatus thereof that are applicable to an interlace system as well as a progressive system.
In order to achieve these and other objects of the invention, a plasma display panel according to one aspect of the present invention includes scanning/sustaining electrodes formed at each of scanning lines; and common sustaining electrodes formed at the scanning lines, wherein said scanning/sustaining electrodes are arranged adjacently to other scanning/sustaining electrodes formed at the adjacent scanning lines, said common sustaining electrodes are arranged adjacently to other common sustaining electrodes formed at the adjacent scanning lines.
In a plasma display panel according to another aspect of the present invention, and each of m scanning lines is provided with an address electrode supplied with a data and a scanning/sustaining electrode for performing a scanning and a sustaining discharge.
A driving apparatus for a plasma display panel according to still another aspect of the present invention includes a display panel arranged in such a manner that scanning/sustaining electrodes formed at each of adjacent scanning lines is adjacent to each other and in such a manner that common sustaining electrodes formed at each of the adjacent scanning lines is adjacent to each other; and driving means for generating a sustaining discharge between the scanning/sustaining electrode and the common sustaining electrode formed at each of the adjacent scanning lines.
A driving apparatus for a plasma display panel according to still another aspect of the present invention includes a display panel in which each of the scanning lines is provided with an address electrode supplied with a data and an scanning/sustaining electrode for performing a scanning and a sustaining discharge; and driving means for causing a sustaining discharge between the scanning/sustaining electrodes formed at each of adjacent scanning lines.
A method of driving a plasma display panel according to still another aspect of the present invention includes the steps of writing a data into m scanning lines; and causing a sustaining discharge between the scanning/sustaining electrodes formed at each of the adjacent scanning lines.
A method of driving a plasma display panel according to still another aspect of the present invention includes the steps of applying an inverse phase of pulse signals to scanning/sustaining electrodes and common sustaining electrodes formed at each of adjacent scanning lines; and applying pulse signals having a phase difference corresponding to a pulse width between the scanning/sustaining electrodes and the common sustaining electrodes formed at the same scanning line to shut off a discharge within the same scanning line.